Few arguments about airpower today prompt as much fiery discussion as the dichotomy between the F-22 Raptor and the F-35 Lightning II. They are the epitome of technological power in the skies, yet they were built for very different missions. With air forces supplanting fleets and new threats emerging all the time, understanding what separates them has never been more relevant.
The F-22 Raptor came from the Air Force’s Advanced Tactical Fighter program, developed by Lockheed Martin with the help of Boeing. It first flew in 1997 and was built with one thing in mind more than anything else: domination of the skies. The Raptor was fast, highly maneuverable, and extremely stealthy, and it was among the finest air-superiority aircraft ever produced. Fewer than 180 were produced before the line closed in 2011, and the U.S. got to keep the jet to itself only due to the hypersensitivity of its technology. To this day, the Air Force continues to hone its Raptors to keep them ahead.
The F-35 Lightning II took a different approach. Stepping away from the Joint Strike Fighter program, it was supposed to be a multirole aircraft, not a straight-up dogfighter. Lockheed Martin created three variants for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, and it’s one of the most versatile fighters in history. Since its inaugural flight in 2006 and formal induction into military service in 2015, the F-35 has become the mainstay of many allied nations’ air forces, with more than a thousand planes already delivered.
In unrefined flying skill, there is no challenge to the Raptor. At 2.25 Mach, thrust-vectoring engines, and a greater than 60,000-foot-per-minute climb, it is still a killing dogfighter and interceptor. The F-35 compares poorly in terms of climbing speed and was never intended to be capable of going head-to-head against the Raptor in outright speed or maneuverability.
Rather, the Lightning II excels in electronics and flexibility. Its next-generation AESA radar, Electro-Optical Targeting System, and unparalleled sensor fusion provide the pilot with a degree of situational awareness to which few, if any, aircraft in the history of aviation have access. It is built specifically to thrive in the complex, contemporary battlefields, where information superiority can be as winning as brute speed.
Flexibility is the Lightning II’s greatest strength. While the Raptor is a master of air combat, the F-35 can pivot between air-to-ground strikes, reconnaissance, anti-ship missions, and even nuclear deterrence. With the ability to carry a wide mix of weapons and coordinate across multiple domains, the jet has earned the nickname “the quarterback of the skies.”
Both employ stealth, but to different ends. The F-22 was built to be the air-to-air ace, while the F-35 was designed to sneak past the types of radars most widely used for surface-to-air systems. In real-world terms, this would result in the Raptor dominating the dogfight and the Lightning II watching it, shooting it, and winning it.
The F-35 program itself, however, has been expensive. It is still the most expensive defense program in history, with lifetime costs estimated at trillions of dollars. Delays in keeping it up and updating it have undermined its long-term affordability even as its onboard systems and motors are constantly being upgraded.
To fly these planes requires more than average pilotability. Modern fighter pilots are required to understand how to use sophisticated sensor systems, manage streams of immediate data, and make split-second tactical decisions in environments where contact with the foe is never going to be visual. It is now as much about decision-making and multi-domain command as it is about flying.
In the future, the Air Force is developing the next-generation air superiority in its Next-Generation Air Dominance program. The F-47 is known as the so-called F-47, and it has more range, modularity, and stealth, as well as an effort to learn from both the Raptor and the Lightning II, and make it easier and less expensive to maintain.
The F-22 vs. F-35 argument is not a question of having one singular champion over the other. Rather, it is a matter of emphasizing the shift of air war priority. The Raptor is still unmatched in the dogfight, but Lightning II is unrivaled in networked, multi-domain battle. Together, they show how air war has transformed—and how it will continue to transform for decades.
